Sopapilla Cheesecake

You might want to put your diet on hold for a piece of this yumminess. You will want to eat it, and when you do....be warned this is not for the weak, you'll want another piece. However, you won't get another piece because everyone else will have already eaten it, leaving you with a mere crumb. Awwww, sorry, buddy. This is a great and extremely easy recipe. Even you say you're not a baker, this is easy. One of the mom's from my son's swim team shared this recipe, she doesn't use the almonds, to be careful of nut allergies (good thinking), and she drizzled the top with honey while it was still hot (again, good thinking.) I did happen to find this online as well, at Allrecipes.com.

The recipe follows and is for a 9 x 13 pan for the full recipe. I decided to try making a smaller pan, because I really don't need it sitting there tempting me for any longer than necessary. Instead, my pictures show that it is smaller pan (8 x 8), and that I have only used half of the ingredients. Therefore the pictures just show the steps.

Crescent Rolls, cream cheese, cinnamon, butter, honey, sugar, and vanilla. That's all you need.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.

Beat until smooth.

Roll out crescent rolls. One can is used for the top and one can is used for the bottom. (Since I was making half of the recipe, I used half of the can on top and the other half on the bottom.)

One can of crescent rolls pressed in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. I don't bother with using a rolling pin, just use the ol' fingers and press it right in the bottom of the pan, pinching the perforations together as well. Much quicker this way. (And one less item to wash afterwards.)

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll dough.

Tip: When rolling out the second can of Crescent rolls for the top crust, lay a larger piece of plastic wrap on the counter top, then roll the dough on the plastic wrap. The dough sticks to the plastic wrap (just enough), making it easier to put the dough on top. And no, I don't use a rolling pin, I just use my fingers to pinch the perforated lines together and spread it out as I go, until it looks like it's the correct size. (Very precise of me, right?)

With the dough pressed into the desired size, on the plastic, pick up the plastic on the long side, you can even hold onto the corners of the dough a bit. Then lay it flat on top of the filling, with the plastic side up. Then remove the plastic. 

Now the plastic is removed and your top crust is in place. How easy was that?

Add the remaining sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together.

Melt the butter in a small dish. I find that the recipe calls for a lot of butter, I reduce the amount that I use.

First drizzle the butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle the sugar & cinnamon mixture over the buttered dough. Put it in the oven and let it bake. The smell coming from your oven will have your family salivating.

The recipe that I found online doesn't call for honey, but the person that gave the recipe added this little step and it is much better. Don't mind the fancy honey, it was leftover from a gift basket I received last Christmas. All of the regular, Meijer brand honey was gone, so I used this wonderful Hale brand.

This is the what the dessert looks like when it comes out of the oven. 

While it's still hot, drizzle honey all over the top. How much? It's up to you and your personal taste. Use a bit, it will soak in as it sits. Step back, look at it and admire, but you must wait for it to cool before you cut it. 3 hours. After cooling, I like to put it in the refrigerator for a while. I find it much better served a bit chilled. This is a great recipe to make ahead, the night or day before. 

After it's been refrigerated, I cut it into small pieces, it's very rich. For a 9 x 13 pan I cut it into 24 pieces.

Eat up!!!!

There you have it, one quick easy and delicious dessert. My family loves it, even my wonderful husband, TM, and he is not much of a sweets eater. It's a crowd pleaser.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Dessert

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Ready In: 3 Hours Servings: 12 (cut them smaller - 24 pieces)

"Cream cheese, canned crescent rolls, cinnamon, and almonds create this delicious, Mexican-inspired dessert."

Ingredients:

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough

1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional) Honey (added touch)

Directions:

1.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Beat the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
3.	Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. (This is when I drizzle honey on top) Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares. (I cut them smaller)